EXCLUSIVE: Terrorists Evacuate Eastern Ghouta With Their Families - Vow to Continue Fight from Idlib
27 people fell victim to another militants' attack in Syria. Despite the cease-fire regime, the groups have shelled out the capital's blocks 6 times today. We learned this in the Reconciliation Center. However, the humanitarian corridors continue working. Over 1,500 people were able to leave Eastern Ghouta today. The militants are also leaving the city.
The latest footage is presented in the report by Anton Stepanenko. Withdrawal of the militants from South Eastern Ghouta with the help of the Russian Reconciliation Center continues. There's no exact date yet, but there have already been dozens of buses. There is even a line here. Militants travel to Idlib, Syria with their families. To ensure safety at the frontlines, every bus is accompanied by a rep from Russia's Ministry of Defense.
Militants from Jabhat al-Nusra and other less numerous formations leave Eastern Ghouta. The Al-Rakhman Legion, Jaysh al-Islam, and Ahrar al-Sham are among them.
The operation goes incident-free under the Russian officers' supervision. However, Jabhat al-Nusra extremists who are famous for their implacability try to emphasize their pre-eminence. They act provocatively sometimes, like when they refuse to be searched. According to an earlier agreement, militants can only bring small arms to Idlib. For instance, they're only allowed 3 dispenser magazines for their Kalashnikov guns. They must turn in their hand grenades, suicide belts, scope sights, walkie-talkies, and machine guns. This is what the Jabhat al-Nusra militants are trying to avoid. That's why all of their buses take longer than others at the checkpoints. However, they still have to turn in their prohibited weapons. The inspection by the Syrian special services in the presence of Russian military police is very thorough. They go through all the luggage that the militants bring along.
We were able to film the process. By the way, militants are against any recording during the inspection procedure. They don't want any interviews, either. Many of them hide their faces to stay off-camera. However, many of them agree to off-the-record conversations.
They are all in different moods. For instance, Jabhat al-Nusra militants don't see the Ghouta pot they're in or their evacuation to Idlib as their failure. They try to put on a brave face in front of us and even promise to return. They say they'll try to be back because the war isn't over for them.
Those from smaller groups like the Al-Rakhman Legion admit they're going into the unknown. Their group hasn't been represented in Idlib until now. They sadly admit they'll have probably to fight for a place under the sun with stronger formations, like Jabhat al-Nusra, for example.
Either way, the militants don't expect a quiet life in Idlib for themselves.
Anton Stepanenko, Artyom Grigoryan, Vesti, Eastern Ghouta, Syria.